Automatically-operated stringed musical instrument



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AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 596,768. Patented Jan. 4,1898.

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Patented Jan. 4,1898.

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AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED STEINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 596,768. Patented Jan.4,1898.

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PATENT T EEicE.

OLIVER II. ARNO, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATED STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,768, dated January 4, 1898.

Application filed September 41, 1896. Serial No. 604,875. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OLIVER II. ARNO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to the class of mechanically and automatically operated musical instruments wherein pneumatic devices are employed between the motor and the instrument to sound the notes, whether it be a reed or stringed instrument, the said pneumatic devices being controlled in their operation by a perforated sheet or strip moving over a tracker bar or range in a well-known way; and the invention consists in certain improvements in the operating devices or mechanisms, which will be hereinafter described, and their novel features carefully defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein a continuous exhaust actuates pneumatics in the nature of bellows, whicQ latter in turn actuate, for example, the pickers and mutes of a stringed instrument, the exhaust being controlled by a moving perforated music-strip of paper or the like.

The invention resides particularly in the mechanism whereby certain perforations in the strip serve to effect the stopping and rewinding of the music-strip automatically.

The devices may be applied to an automatically-operated banjofor example, such as those illustrated in the patents to IV. H. Gilman, No. 488,520, of December 20, 1892, and to IV. II. Reed, No. 558, .t19, of April 14:, 1896.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan. view of the winding mechanism and reversing devices. Fig. 2 is an end view of the 1necl1anism seen from the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the pneumatics seen in plan in Fig. 1, the section of the base-board being in the plane indicated by line 3 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3 in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a detail front view of the mechanism seen at the right in Fig. 1, the View being taken from below in Fig. 1

Fig. 5 is a see- Fig. 6 is an tional view on line 5 in Fig. 1.

enlarged sectional view, the plane of the section being indicated by line 6 in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a view of the clutch mechanism seen at the right in Fig. 1, but showing the parts in a different position.

On a base-board A is mounted a wind-chest B, connected by an air-passage a, Fig. 5, with a suitable air-exhauster C, Fig. 2, whereby a continuous exhaust is obtained. On the windchest are mounted three like pneumatics D, D and D each in the form of a normallydistended bellows held distended by a spring. In the wind-chest is a normally-closed bellows E, Fig. 5, held closed by a spring. In a valve-chamber between the wind-chest and the pneumatic is a hinged valve F. This valve-chamber is connected with the pneumatic D in Fig. 5 by an air-passage b and with the outer air and the wind-chest, respectively, by air passages or ports 0 and (Z. These latter ports are controlled by the valve F. On the bellows E is a pin 6, which extends through the port (Z and lifts the valve F, so as to open the port d and close the port 0 when the bellows E is distended. The bellows E is connected by an air-passage f and tube 1 with a tracker bar or range G, over which is drawn a perforated music-strip II.

The operation is as follows: So long as the strip H closes the inlet to the tube 9 the bellows D, Fig. 5, will remain distended; but when a perforation in the moving strip is brought over the aperture in the tracker-bar II, which admits air to the bellows E, the exhaust from the wind-chest will cause said bellows to expand, the pine will operate the valve F to open the port d and close the port 0, and the air will be exhausted from. the bellows D, thus causing it to collapse and effect a mechanical operation. As soon as the strip II closes the air-inlet to the bellows E the air will be exhausted from the latter at a small hole in its top, so that its spring may close it, and the valve F will, open the bellows D to the atmosphere, thus permitting its spring to expand it.

Broadly speaking, the device described above is not new; but it has been necessary to explain the operation because of its bearing on other features of the mechanism. Hereinafter to facilitate the description the letters D, D and D will be employed to des ignate generally the entire pneumatic device, including the bellows E in the wind-chest and the valve F.

The perforated m usie strip or sheet II is secured at one end to and wound upon a roll I, and from this roll the end of the sheet or strip is led and securedto a take-up roll J. These rolls are rotatively mounted in a suitable frame K on the base-board, the tracker bar or range G being situated between them, as seen in Fig. 5.

In the perforated music-sheet H there are provided in addition to the ordinary rows of perforations for sounding the musical notes, dcc, other perforations for operating mechanisms for stopping the motive power and so stopping the movement of the music-sheet and for effecting the rewinding of the said sheet. These features will now be described.

The pneumatic D is for stopping the motor. D is for rewinding the music-sheet, and D is for resetting the mechanism after rewinding and for stopping the motor when the music-sheet shall have been wound up through the medium of the pneumatic D For stopping the electric motor or whatever motor may be used for operating the instrument by the pneumatics D and D any suitable means may be used between the said motor and the pneumatic, which means can be connected in any suitable manner to the movable board of the bellows of the pneumatic for operation by said board to stop the motor.

The music-sheet II, as stated, has in it perforations in suitable places for the operation of the several pneumaticsnamely, for the pneumatic D at the end of each tune, except the last tune on the sheet, for the pneumatic D at the last end of the music-sheet, and for the pneumatic D at the forward end of the music-sheet. On the roll J is a toothed Wheel h, which gears with a pinion t', loosely mounted on a shaft L, (seen in Figs. 1, 4, and 7,) and this shaft has on its outer end a pulley M, which is driven from any suitable driver through the medium of a belt N. Having started the motor, the main air-exhauster C is operated and the music sheet H caused to travel over the tracker-bar G, playing the tune, and as the perforation in the music sheet located at the end of the tune, intended for stopping the instrument, arrives at and comes over its respective air-duct j, Figs. 1 and 5, in the tracker-bar G air passes to the pneumatic D and operates it, and through said pneumatic the motor which operates the instrument is stopped. As the music-sheet before the motor stops will move sufficiently for such perforation to pass over and beyond its respective air-duct, consequently as the unperforated portion of the music sheet comes over the air-duct air is stopped from passing therethrough, whereby the parts of the pneumatic D are returned to their normal positions for operation, as before.

The pneumatic D for rewinding the musicsheet upon the music-roll I is operated in a manner similar to the pneumatic D, there being a perforation at the last end of the music-sheet and a corresponding air-duct in the traeker-range G. The pneumatic D acts to shift certain mechanism on the drivingshaft L, so that the music-roll I is rotated in the opposite or reverse direction and the music-sheet is thus rewound thereon, so that it may be again run through the instrument to play the same tunes over again or be removed and another roll with another musicsheet thereon be substituted therefor.

Over the outer end of the air-passage], Fig. 5, of the pneumatic D is a cutoff valve 0, Fig. 3, pivoted above on the wind-chest and adapted to swing to and fro like a wicket over the end of the passage f, the valve having in it a port j", which when the valve is in its normal position, as seen in Fig. 3, registers with the end of the passage f, Fig. 5. The port in the valve is connected by the flexible tube g with air-duct 7' in the tracker-range G.

A rod P is coupled at one end to the cutoff valve 0 and at the other end to one arm of a rocker-lever Q, fulcrumed on the win dchest. This rocker has three other arms, 7t, 79, and 0*. Two of these arms,7t" and 7.: ,extend to and are in front, respectively, of the pneumatics D and D and take under projecting arms on on the same, as seen in Fig. To the other arm, 70 is coupled by a link it a rod R, which rod is coupled at its other end to the shifting mechanism in connection with the driving-shaft for operation in rewinding the music-sheet upon the music-roll, as will now be described.

The pinion t, as stated, is loose on the shaft L, and it has a wide face. In its boss is formed a circumferential groove 01, Fig. 7, which is engaged by a forked arm 3 on a slide-bar S, mounted in suitable guides, so as to move parallel with the shaft L. Another forked arm .son the slide S engages a circumferential groove in a loose collar Z on the shaft L.

T is a pulley loose on the shaft L between two collars it, fixed on the shaft. This pulley T is connected by a belt U with a pulley T on a shaft I,to which the journal of the music roll I is coupled when placed in the instrument, and this shaft I is rotatively mounted in suitable bearings on the base-board A. In the side of the pulley T is a horizontally-projecting pin r, Figs. land 7, and in the collar it, at the right of the pulley T, is a radially projecting pin 0. In the loose collar t is a pin o which is adapted to be projected into the path of the pin 1) in the pulley T when the collar t is shifted toward the said pulley, as seen in Fig. 7. In the boss of the pinion t is a radial pin u adapted to engage at oer-- tain times with a bent pin 1; in a collar 76 on the shaft L. As the shaft L is turned to operate the instrument the pin 0" of the collar it engages the pin o in the boss of the pinion t' and turns the latter, thus operating the take-up roll J through the gear-wheel 72.,

ICC

all as shown in Fig. 4, which represents the parts in position for such operation; but when the music-sheet is to be rewound upon the music-roll I the slide S is shifted, (toward the left in Fig. 1,) its forked arm 5 carrying the pinion 2' and its forked arm .scarrying the collar '6, thus causing the pin v in the pinion to move clear of the path of the pin 01 of the collar to and causing the pin o in the collar 25 to move into the path of and engage the pin '0 in the pulley T, as shown in Fig. 7 Thus as the shaft L continues to turn the pulley T is turned with it, and through the belt U and shaft T the music-roll I is turned in the proper direction to rewind the music-sheet thereon from the freed roll J. As the pinion i is free or loose on the shaft Ii, it will be obvious that, although still in gear with the roll J, it may turn on the shaft L.

A perforation in the music-sheet at the proper place near the beginning of the said sheet is provided, so that when the said sheet is fully rewound as such perforation comes into register with its proper air-duct in the tracker-bar G the pneumatic D is operated and the outer bellows thereof collapsed, and this causes the arm m thereon, Fig. 3, to depress the arm k of the rocker-lever Q, turn said lever about its fulcrum, move the arm k up to the arm at on the pneumatic D and swing the valve 0 so as to put the pneumatic D in communication with the tracker-range G. The rocker-lever Q, also shifts the slide S, (to the right in Figs. at and 7,) thus putting the reversing mechanism on the shaft L back to the position seen in Fig. 4. In Fig. 3 the dotted lines show the rocker-lever Q and connected parts in the position for rewinding, and the full lines show them in their normal po sitions. During the rewinding the valve 0 is set to cut off the exhaust from the pneumatic D, so that this latter may not operate when its operating perforation in the musicsheet at the end of a tune comes in rewinding into register with the corresponding airduct in the tracker-range G. Otherwise the motor would be stopped at the wrong time.

' At the left of the music sheet and rolls, as seen in Fig. l, is mounted a block IV, having in it three vertical air-passages w, 20 and 20 connected by tubes g, g*, and 9 respectively, with the inner bellows of the pneumatics I), D and D as best seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 3. Each of the passages wyufi, and 20 opens to the outer air, but is controlled by a spring-closed valve w. (Seen best in the sectional view, Fig. 6.) The stems of the lever-like valves to may be manually depressed for opening the valves. The object of this device is to permit the pneumatics to be operated by hand for stopping the instrument or rewinding. The operation is obvious and will not require explanation further than to say that the raising of a valve 10 produces the same effect as the bringing of a perforation in the musicsheet into register with an air-duct in the trachenrange G.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a musical instrument operated-pneumatically through the medium of a perforated music-strip, the combination with the said strip, mounted on rolls and having perforations for operating the three pneumatics D, D and D of the said pneumatics, the shifting mechanism actuated by the pneumatics D and D and the cut-off valve 0, actuated by the pneumatics D and D respectively, to cut off and put on the pneumatic D, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, a rotating shaft, a pulley loose on the shaft, a collar secured to the shaft, another collar loose on the shaft, the loose collar being adapted to engage with and disengage from the other collar and pulley, for the purpose specified.

3. In combination, a rotating shaft, a pulley loose on the shaft, a collar secured to the shaft, another collar loose 011 the shaft, the

loose collar being adapted to engage with and disengage from the secured collar and the pulley, and means for moving the loose collar on the shaft to engage with and disengage from the pulley and other collar.

4-. In combination, the pneumatics D, D and D the tracker-range with which they are respectively connected, the perforated music-sheet and its rolls, reversible mechanism for driving the rolls, reversing devices for reversing said mechanism, a rocking lever Q, having opposite arms 7c and adapted to be actuated by the pneumatics D and D respectively, a valve 0 between the pneumatic D and the tracker-range, a rod P, coupling said valve with an arm of the said rocking lever, and a rod It coupling another arm of said rocking lever with the device for reversing the driving mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER I'I. ARNO.

-Witnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, F. B. Wnnrworrru. 

